Measles Alert Issued Throughout Aussie State After Woman Hospitalized

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published March 09, 2018 | 12:51 PM

Health authorities on Friday issued a measles alert throughout Australia's Victoria state, after a woman infected with the disease was found to have visited a number of tourist sites and major public areas, Xinhua report said.

SYDNEY, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 09th Mar, 2018 ) ::Health authorities on Friday issued a measles alert throughout Australia's Victoria state, after a woman infected with the disease was found to have visited a number of tourist sites and major public areas, Xinhua report said.

Many people "in a large number of city and rural locations" may have been exposed to the virus between March 3 and March 7, the state's deputy chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton said in a media statement.

The woman, in her 20s, visited spots including a backpacker lodging, railway station, supermarket and bank in state capital Melbourne, as well as "multiple sites" along the scenic Great Ocean Road, according to state health authorities.

She is being treated in hospital and "people who develop illness over the next two weeks should alert their doctor or hospital emergency department," said Sutton.

Measles is a highly infectious viral disease that spreads through coughs and sneezes and can cause serious illness, with very young patients particularly vulnerable.

Victims can develop pneumonia and other serious complications from the disease, and often need to be hospitalized, according to state health authorities. The illness usually begins with common cold symptoms such as runny nose, red eyes and a cough, followed by fever and rash, said Sutton.

"The characteristic measles rash usually begins three-seven days after the first symptoms, generally starting on the face and then spreading to the rest of the body," he said. The disease is uncommon in Australia because of the widespread use of the measles vaccine.

Most cases of measles in Victoria were linked to international travel, with the disease more prevalent in many countries overseas, said Sutton.